skeleton
Anatomy, Zoology. the bones of a human or an animal considered as a whole, together forming the framework of the body.
any of various structures forming a rigid framework in an invertebrate.
an emaciated person or animal.
a supporting framework, as of a leaf, building, or ship.
an outline, as of a literary work: the skeleton of the plot.
something reduced to its essential parts.
of or relating to a skeleton.
like or being a mere framework; reduced to the essential or minimal parts or numbers: a skeleton staff.
Idioms about skeleton
skeleton at the feast, a person or thing that casts gloom over a joyful occasion; a note or reminder of sorrow in the midst of joy.
skeleton in the closet / cupboard,
a family scandal that is concealed to avoid public disgrace.
any embarrassing, shameful, or damaging secret.
Origin of skeleton
1Other words from skeleton
- skel·e·ton·less, adjective
- skel·e·ton·like, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use skeleton in a sentence
Katniss walks through mountains of skeletons, at one point recoiling in horror as she inadvertently steps on a skull.
'Mockingjay—Part 1’ Is the Most Violent ‘Hunger Games’ Yet | Kevin Fallon | November 20, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTSkeletons and calavera motifs, surrounding Latin women, feature prominently in his paintings.
Records are combed, correspondence revealed, skeletons fall out of cupboards.
Three Dicks: Cheney, Nixon, Richard III and the Art of Reputation Rehab | Clive Irving | July 27, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThe exhibit includes two human skeletons — and an actual Prada store inside the “bayaat shaar” or sheep-hair tent.
Kate Moss and Johnny Depp Reunite for Music Video; Mario Testino Receives Honorary OBE from Queen | The Fashion Beast Team | October 14, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTDespite the towers of skeletons, Tamerlane described himself as a peaceful man.
Is Tamerlan Tsarnaev Named After a Brutal Warlord? | Eliza Shapiro | April 19, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
Clodd tells us that one cubic inch of rotten stone contains 41 thousand million vegetable skeletons of diatoms.
God and my Neighbour | Robert BlatchfordThe beautiful Battalions of the 25th April are wasted skeletons now; shadows of what they had been.
Gallipoli Diary, Volume I | Ian HamiltonPerfect skeletons of them are still preserved in the museum of Christchurch, New Zealand.
Gospel Philosophy | J. H. WardA number of human skulls have been discovered in these situations, and in a few instances skeletons have been exhumed.
Man And His Ancestor | Charles MorrisIf in this solitude there are skeletons and corpses half devoured, there are also dying and living beings.
The Pilgrim's Shell or Fergan the Quarryman | Eugne Sue
British Dictionary definitions for skeleton
/ (ˈskɛlɪtən) /
a hard framework consisting of inorganic material that supports and protects the soft parts of an animal's body and provides attachment for muscles: may be internal (an endoskeleton), as in vertebrates, or external( an exoskeleton), as in arthropods: See also endoskeleton, exoskeleton
informal a very thin emaciated person or animal
the essential framework of any structure, such as a building or leaf, that supports or determines the shape of the rest of the structure
an outline consisting of bare essentials: the skeleton of a novel
(modifier) US and Canadian reduced to a minimum: a skeleton staff
skeleton in the cupboard or US and Canadian skeleton in the closet a scandalous fact or event in the past that is kept secret
Origin of skeleton
1Derived forms of skeleton
- skeletal, adjective
- skeletally, adverb
- skeleton-like, adjective
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for skeleton
[ skĕl′ĭ-tn ]
The internal structure of vertebrate animals, composed of bone or cartilage, that supports the body, serves as a framework for the attachment of muscles, and protects the vital organs and associated structures.
A hard protective covering or supporting structure of invertebrate animals. See also endoskeleton exoskeleton.
Other words from skeleton
- skeletal adjective
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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